Some electrical and mechanical system components generate heat while operating, for example amplifier elements, individual semiconductor chips and multi-chip modules and circuit boards. In order to prevent overheating or other damage to the components, and to maintain or improve component and system performance, it is desirable to actively remove the generated heat, and this is commonly accomplished through heat sink methods and articles. A heat sink is an element located within a physical proximity or attached to a heat-generating component and configured to draw or conduct operational heat away from the heat-generating component or vicinity thereof. The operational heat may then be dissipated or otherwise removed, and in some examples a heat engine structure may receive and convert generated thermal energy into mechanical output.
Problems arise due to heat sink component or system inefficiencies and failures. When a heat sink failure is not recognized or abated promptly, un-dissipated operational heat may cause a component to overheat, which may result in damage to the component or performance degradation of a system utilizing the component. It is known to monitor component heat levels in order to recognize a heat sink failure; however, prior art methods and systems typically accomplish this by merely monitoring the heat-generating component for temperatures rising near or above an upper temperature threshold limit. This may be unsatisfactory in timely avoiding damage to the heat-generating component or system performance degradation, each of which may occur before the threshold is reached or prior to temperature reduction through responsive abatement steps.
Thus, there is a need for improved heat sink methods and processes to address the above problems, as well as others.